The Dryad's Blessing and Heart Experiments
"Hello. My name is Pirel."
Vivian, Ji-ah, and I were sitting in our usual café.
The mod's power was truly magnificent.
It had recreated a monster wrapped tightly around a tree root into such a splendid girl.
Still, knowing her true form, I couldn't help the instinctive aversion I felt.
Even watching a grass weed like her sip coffee felt out of place.
"Ah, hello. I'm Shin Do-jun."
After our greetings, silence settled between us.
There had to be more to say...
"Ah! You mentioned you were looking for someone. Who might that be?"
"I'm searching for a shameless man who made a promise to my mother and then vanished."
Family matters? Better not pry too deep.
I was about to steer the conversation elsewhere when Pirel started explaining in detail.
"About twenty years ago, a rogue came to our forest. Even after receiving the Dryad's Blessing, he fled and hasn't been found anywhere, so I came to the Republic of Korea."
"I see. I hope you find him."
Conversation over.
I shot Ji-ah a desperate look, but she awkwardly avoided my gaze.
I trusted you...
Racking my brain, I finally grasped a new topic.
"You mentioned the Dryad's Blessing. Could you tell me more about it?"
"The Dryad's Blessing is a blessing we Dryads can bestow on someone only once in our lifetime. It's a mark of being a friend of the forest, and it increases affinity with nature. And..."
"And?"
"This doesn't seem like something to share with outsiders."
"I see. Can't be helped, then."
Dryad's Blessing. First I'd heard of it.
These other races clearly differed from humans.
Yet claiming they were no different felt like a stretch...
Instructor Olivia's views wouldn't change, though.
"If there's nothing else, may I go? I want to find him as soon as possible."
"Ah, yes. Goodbye."
Pirel bowed politely and walked away from us.
Now it was just Ji-ah and me in the café.
"...Ji-ah."
"Yes?"
"Was she always like that?"
"Yes... Even in the classroom, she just greeted us and barely spoke after."
"Until now?"
"Yeah. What we heard here is more than everything she's said to me so far."
Poor Ji-ah.
Then again, I wasn't one to talk.
Just thinking about writing that report on Latynia made my stomach ache.
Ji-ah headed to the library to research Dryads.
I had bad memories there, so I didn't follow.
It wasn't my usual study room, but it still felt uneasy.
Which led to my current situation.
"So bored..."
I was sprawled on a bench near the library.
The sky was blue, the breeze cool, the streets bustling with cadets full of energy.
And I was bored.
No—anxious.
Something felt unresolved. My mood sank on its own.
I looked at my right hand.
On the back, a faint, ornate crest and magic circle were etched.
Thinking back, since falling into this world, so much was inexplicable.
The most baffling was this power.
I'd played Prism Arts for ages, but nothing like this existed.
I pulled out Thousand Changes.
It had grown much larger since the start.
It used to fit in one hand; now it was nearly watermelon-sized.
Even after sharing some with Vivian, it was this big.
I fiddled with Thousand Changes, gazing at the sky.
A peaceful day.
Watching drifting clouds, Vivian suddenly came to mind.
A sound no normal heart should make echoed from Vivian's.
A heart murmur alone didn't confirm issues, but Vivian was different.
Circumstantial evidence pointed to tampering.
What to do...
By principle, items from the Magic Auxiliary Material Market weren't treated as human, so no hospitals.
Even if taken, no guarantees.
Only way for more info: Dean Han Myeong-sin.
I activated my smartwatch.
"A cadet coming to me? Unusual."
"I have questions."
Usually, she called me first.
Last time I sought her was wrapping up Ji-ah's issue.
She'd introduced people, but they ignored me, so I forgot them.
No point seeking them out and getting chewed out.
Pertis was the only one with good memories?
Hope he remembers me for the Great Labyrinth later.
"What curiosity brings you? I'll tell what I know."
"Do you know of experiments replacing or manipulating hearts artificially?"
"That one..."
Dean Han Myeong-sin's eyes grew distant.
She knew.
"How much do you know about how mages use magic?"
"Mages accumulate mana at their core and use it from there."
"Correct. Humans do, precisely."
Humans... Implying non-humans didn't.
"Once, the Hero Association kidnapped other races for research. Among them, they theorized some store mana in their hearts."
"And based on that...?"
"Yes. Project name escapes me, but after 500 trials, all subjects died. Abandoned. Varied by race heart transplanted, but all fatal. One of their hidden failures. Human experimentation made it worse."
500?
Vivian was subject 583, per the market instructor.
Abandoned project revived in shadows?
"Could it be officially abandoned but continued secretly?"
"Hero Association? They'd do it. Filthy deeds without remorse."
"I see. No successes?"
"None I know. If one, they'd hype it massively. So probably not. Why ask?"
"Found a 580-series subject at the Magic Auxiliary Material Market. Instructor confirmed numbering."
"Inside Prism... I'll look into it."
No immediate solution.
But new info: other-race hearts as material. Progress.
Gathering more might spark ideas.
If Vivian holds out...
"Thanks. I'll go now..."
"Wait."
As I rose, Dean Han Myeong-sin stopped me.
More to say?
"Remember what I mentioned?"
"Which...?"
"Said I'd introduce a child? She's nearby now. See her face before you go."
"Sure."
Her party member? Veteran for sure.
Their kid? Reliable expert.
No loss in bonding.
Soon, the door opened.
But... familiar face.
"Auntie, who's the introduction?"
"You're here? Sit."
Instructor Olivia entered.
The two chatted casually about today's lectures and content.
I didn't know if Olivia taught mornings, but no afternoon class.
Lying so naturally to Dean Han Myeong-sin was a talent.
And she didn't notice me, her student, right there.
As I became one with the rice sack, Dean Han Myeong-sin finally called me.
"Forgot. Called to introduce the cadet."
She paused, troubled.
No way...
She'd never used my name once.
Always "cadet." Thought it was habit.
But a dean should know a watched cadet's name!
Olivia stopped too, same realization.
A weird bond formed, then vanished.
"I'm Shin Do-jun, Dean Han Myeong-sin."
"Ah, right! This cadet is Shin Do-jun. Promising one. Cadet Shin Do-jun, this child is..."
"Instructor Olivia, right?"
"How do you know?"
Calling her "child" hadn't screamed instructor, but from dean's view, Olivia's age fit.
"How could I not? I'm taking your class this semester... mmph!"
As I mentioned lectures, Olivia shot over, sealing my mouth.
The sticky liquid wasn't pleasant.
I brought my right hand to dispel, but it vanished and reformed.
Seeing it keep dispelling, Olivia shrouded us in a red barrier, cutting off the outside.
Last glimpse: Dean Han Myeong-sin smiling warmly at us.
Don't just watch...